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Section II: Write on one of the following essay topics related to Celia, A Slave (60 points possible).
- In his book, Celia, A Slave, Melton McLaurin notes that Judge Hall wanted a speedy, by-the-book trial, and that the “[c]ouncil for the defense…was not cooperating” with the judge’s wishes. Why did Judge Hall choose John Jameson for Celia’s defense? McLaurin asserts that Jameson’s defense of Celia was more radical than the “celebrated” Dred Scott case. What was Jameson’s defense strategy? How did this defense challenge the system of slavery? The issues of 1850s Missouri should form part of your answer.
- Melton McLaurin notes that the Celia’s defense “challenged the role of white man as the protector of women within southern society…[and] challenged the concept of male honor, a crucial element of the South’s social system.” What does Celia’s story and “the sexual politics of slavery” have to say about antebellum families and women generally?
